"U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service takes second look at status of Peirson's milk-vetch"
(US Fish & Wildlife Service news release, 11/30/05)
"The US Fish and Wildlife Service announced today that a new petition
to remove the threatened Peirson's milk-vetch (Astragalus magdalenae var.
peirsonii) from its current listing under the Endangered Species Act (ESA)
provides substantial information indicating such action may be warranted.
The Service will now initiate a 12-month status review of Peirson's milk-vetch,
a desert plant found only in portions of the Algodones Dunes in Imperial
County, California, to determine whether the plant should be proposed
for delisting."http://news.fws.gov/NewsReleases/showNews.cfm?newsId=E2A22DF4-65BF-03E7-2A8C928234C31EFE

RELATED:
"Algodones Dunes monitoring studies" (BLM California
website)
BLM has conducted several monitoring studies of the special status plants
of the Algodones Dunes (also called the Imperial Sand Dunes), Imperial
County, California, since 1998. The two most recent reports are for Peirson's
milk-vetch (Peirson's milk-vetch 2005 report, September 8, 2005) and for
Algodones Dunes sunflower and vegetation (Algodones Dunes sunflower-vegetation
report, November 29, 2005):http://www.ca.blm.gov/elcentro/algdunesmonitorstudy.html

"Our opinion:
Life and death in the dunes" (Imperial Valley Press, 12/2/05)
Editorial: "[Y]ou have a city the size of
Modesto in the dunes over holiday weekends, and when that many people
gather, some are going to die or get seriously hurt, particularly when
they are speeding around on motorized vehicles. We think county sheriff's
deputies and US Bureau of Land Management rangers are doing great work
in keeping the rowdiness and mayhem to a minimum, but there is always
going to be an element in the dunes that is there for the lawlessness,
and no measures taken will stop it."http://www.ivpressonline.com/articles/2005/12/01/opinion/ed02_12-01.txt

"Sheriff's
team ends marijuana season" (Red Bluff Daily News, 11/30/05)
"This year the team handled 26 cases and
eradicated 81,353 plants, arrested 11 suspects, seized 24 firearms and
confiscated 182 pounds of processed marijuana," the Tehama County
sheriff said. "According to the attorney
general's press release dated Nov. 10, Tehama County would be ranked fifth
in the state of having the most plants seized." BLM is one
of the agencies that assisted. http://www.redbluffdailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,134%257E26762%257E3149145,00.html

RELATED:"Confusion
fueled fraud, attorney says" (Monterey County Herald, 12/1/05)
"The attorney for Robert Beehler, a former
supervisor for the Bureau of Land Management, said his client encountered
confusing credit card policies that contributed to his embezzling about
$18,000." A US attorney disputed that claim. http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/13300592.htm

"Cemex dispute
takes new turn" (Los Angeles Daily News, 12/1/05)
"While acknowledging that jurisdiction over the land would not give
them authority over mining, city officials have taken steps to annex 1,885
acres in Soledad Canyon, where a mega-mining operation they oppose is
planned....Mexico-based Cemex, which was granted the right to mine 56.1
million tons of sand and gravel by the US Bureau of Land Management in
1990, plans to contest the city's application with the LAFCO [Local Agency
Formation Commission]...the agency that oversees municipal boundary changes
in Los Angeles County."http://www.dailynews.com/search/ci_3265973

"Grants
fuel fire safety funds" (Grass Valley Union, 12/2/05)
"State and federal agencies are giving away money
to community groups trying to protect themselves from fire, an official
from the Fire Safe Council of Nevada County said this week....The
US Bureau of Land Management, the U. S. Department of Forestry and the
US Park Service are among the agencies that pony up the money for such
projects each year," he said.(Free registration required.)http://www.theunion.com/article/20051202/NEWS/112020087

WILDLIFE
TRIVIA QUESTION OF THE WEEK:The water shrew
shares an unusual ability with the basilisk lizard -- what is it?
(a) They can glide through the air
(b) They can run on top of the water
(c) They can repel attackers with an offensive musk
(d) They can change color to match their background
(e) They can repel attackers with their fierce halitosis
(f) They have memorized every cheat code from the video game, "Biological
Imperative XXVII: Season of Unreason."
(See answer near the end of this issue of News.bytes)

RELATED: "BLM approves trails action plan to protect Peninsular bighorn sheep" (BLM California news release, 12/1/05)
In an effort to further protect the endangered Peninsular Ranges bighorn sheep the Bureau of Land Management signed the decision record to construct new trails and close segments of existing trails on public lands within the Coachella Valley.http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2005/12/nr/CDDNews17_bighornsheep_trails_plan.html

MEET
YOUR ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS: David Charlton......represents botanical interests as a renewable resource representative on BLM's California Desert District Advisory Council. He is an accomplished botanist and has conducted field studies throughout the southwestern states, including extensive experience in the California deserts. Read more:
http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/rac/dac/member_profiles/charlton.html

PROFILE: Myna SarzottiAn auto accident brought Myna to BLM's Bakersfield Field Office
almost 18 years ago, where she got a job as a fire dispatcher. She she
has been working there ever since. Read
more in this week's Employee Profile.

ALTERNATIVE
ENERGY

"Construction
to begin on Basalt Canyon geothermal pipeline project" (BLM
California news release, 1/30/05)
The pipeline will be constructed on forest system lands located north
of State Route 203 near the town of Mammoth Lakes, California. The purpose
of this project is to develop and produce up to a maximum of 4,000 gallons
per minute of geothermal fluid from two previously approved geothermal
wells, and deliver this geothermal fluid through a geothermal pipeline
to the existing MPLP power plants located in Mono County, California.
This project helps meet the goals of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to
increase development of domestic renewable energy resources.http://www.ca.blm.gov/news/2005/12/nr/BLM_USFS_Basalt_Canyon_pipeline.html

RELATED:"Mammoth Pacific
geothermal plant" (News.bytes Extra, issue 209)Photos of the geothermal
plant, and a drilling rig used to tap a geothermal well.

"Modoc project seeks
wind in the Warner Mountains" (Modoc Record, 12/1/05)
"The latest 'green' energy project set on government land in sparsely
populated Modoc County is a proposal by a Houston-based company to harness
wind in the North Warner Mountains' Fandango Valley. A recent proposal
for a special-use permit...calls for the placement of 10, 164-foot wind-experimental
towers on land controlled by the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land
Management."http://www.modocrecord.com/NEWS.html#Modoc

NATIONAL
AND/OR DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ITEMS

"This land may not
be your land" (Los Angeles Times, 12/4/05)
"Supporters say the mining law changes, part of a spending bill passed
by the US House of Representatives last month, are intended to revive
dying rural mining towns. But the possible consequences have provoked
fierce disagreement." Acting chief of Mojave National Preserve expresses
concerns about BLM-managed land adjacent to the Preserve: "He fears
if it is sold to private owners as a result of the new bill, it could
be very profitable to put commercial strips next to the highway, exposing
the preserve to light, noise and pollution."(Free registration required.)http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-mining4dec04,1,3365324.story

WILDLIFE
TRIVIA - answerQuestion:
The water shrew shares an unusual ability with the basilisk lizard --
what is it?Answer: (b) They can run on top of the water - because of their
large feet and air bubbles trapped in their fur. Water shrews are also
excellent swimmers and can dive down to the bottom of a body of water
to feed on aquatic insects. However, as soon as they stop swimming, air
bubbles trapped in their fur propel them back to the top.

RELATED:"Sorex palustris (water shrew)" (University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web)
More information, photo and list of references. The site disclaimer notes: "The Animal Diversity Web is an educational resource written largely by and for college students. Though we edit our accounts for accuracy, we cannot guarantee all information in those accounts."http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Sorex_palustris.html

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